How to compare pool quotes fairly

Mostly because they describe different jobs. HomeGuide splits fiberglass pool pricing into a basic install, which it defines as dig, set, backfill and fill, and a turn-key job that adds fencing, electrical and landscaping. The gap between those two in its figures is roughly $20,000. Both could be honest quotes. They just are not the same project.

A low number that leaves out the deck, the electrical and the fence will look like a bargain until those items show up later from other contractors. A high number might include a heater and an automatic cover you did not ask for. Until the scope matches, the totals tell you almost nothing.

The Ohio Attorney General suggests getting at least three written estimates for home improvement work. For a pool, three is plenty, as long as you can make them comparable.

Make a simple table with one column per builder and one row per item below. Fill in what each quote says. Where a quote is silent, write "not stated" and ask. Silence usually means excluded.

• Pool type, manufacturer, model and dimensions, and the depth profile
• Pump, filter, lights and any heater, by brand and model
• Deck: width or square feet, and the finish (broom concrete, stamped, pavers)
• Coping and steps
• Electrical: hook-up at the equipment only, or the full run from the panel
• Barrier fence and gates
• Excavation, spoils haul-off, dewatering if the hole takes on water
• Backfill material
• Permits and inspections, and who applies
• Startup, chemicals, cleaning kit and a walkthrough
• Cover: safety, automatic or none
• Payment schedule, start date and completion date
• Warranties from the manufacturer and the builder, in writing

Once the table is full, the real differences jump out. It is common to find that the cheapest quote is missing three or four rows.

Size first. A 12x26 and a 14x30 differ by more than a few feet. The bigger pool holds noticeably more water, which changes chemical use, heating cost and the size of the deck around it. Compare quotes on pools of similar size and depth, or ask each builder to price the same size.

Type second. Vinyl liner, fiberglass and concrete pools cost different amounts to build and to own. Vinyl is usually cheapest up front, but the liner wears out and has to be replaced during the life of the pool. Fiberglass costs more than vinyl to build and has no liner to replace or plaster to resurface. Concrete, including ICF, is usually the most expensive to build and the most flexible in shape. A vinyl quote and a fiberglass quote can both be fair and still not be comparable on price alone. Our guide comparing fiberglass, vinyl and concrete pools in Ohio covers that trade-off.

By brand and model, not by description. "Pump and filter" can mean very different equipment. Ask for the exact models and look them up.

The pump is the one to look at hardest, because it runs every day of the season. A variable-speed pump can run slowly for most of the day and use much less electricity than an old single-speed pump. The filter matters too. A DE filter like the Pentair FNS Plus filters finer than sand, and its maintenance is driven by the pressure gauge: Pentair says to backwash when pressure reads about 10 psi above the original starting pressure. Cartridge filters are another good option with different upkeep. What you want to know is what you are getting and what it will ask of you.

For reference, every one of our packages includes a Pentair variable-speed pump, a Pentair DE filter, a pool heater and Pentair MicroBrite color-changing LED lights. A pool heater is included; automation and salt systems are priced as upgrades.

In the ground. Our region is largely glacial till with slow-draining silt loams and clay, and many of these soils hold a perched water table near the surface from fall into spring. A hole dug in April can fill with water overnight. Some builders price dewatering in. Others list it as an extra if needed. Some never mention it. None of those is wrong, but you need to know which one you have.

Spoils are the other big one. A pool excavation produces a lot of heavy, wet dirt, and hauling it off costs real money. If one quote includes haul-off and another assumes you will spread it on the back lot, the difference can be thousands.

Access matters too. A narrow side yard, a septic field or a fenced backyard can mean smaller equipment, more hours or a crane. A builder who has walked your yard will price that. A builder quoting from satellite photos may not.

An allowance is a placeholder budget for something not fully specified yet, such as $3,000 for fencing or $2,000 for electrical. If the real cost comes in higher, you pay the difference. Allowances are useful early on, but a quote built mostly of allowances is easy to make look cheap.

Circle every allowance on your comparison sheet and ask whether it is realistic for your yard. Ohio's Home Construction Service Suppliers Act helps once you sign: for contracts of $25,000 or more, the written contract must state the total estimated cost and any costs not included in it, and if unforeseen extra costs pass $5,000 over the job, the builder must give you an estimate before doing that work. That protection does not apply to cost-plus contracts, so notice which kind you are being offered.

Two quotes with the same total can carry very different risk. One might ask for half up front. Another might ask for a deposit and then payments tied to the dig, the set, the deck and startup. The Attorney General advises against contracts that require a large down payment or full payment before the work is complete and inspected. A schedule that follows the work is worth something even if the total is a little higher.

If you are financing, check that each builder's schedule fits how your lender pays out. A lender that releases funds in inspected stages and a builder that wants most of the money early will not mesh well.

Check who applies for permits and whether permit fees are in the price. In Northeast Ohio the answer to which office issues your permit depends on your address. Summit County Building Standards handles residential plan review for many communities in that county, the Stark County Building Inspection Department covers unincorporated Stark County and the towns that contract with it, while cities such as Canton and Alliance run their own departments. Zoning approval is often a separate step. A builder who names the right office for your street has probably done the work before.

The barrier is the same story. One quote may include a 4 ft aluminum fence around the whole pool, another may assume your existing yard fence will pass, and a third may not mention it. Ask each builder to state what barrier your town requires and how their quote meets it. Then compare fence to fence.

Add a line for the first five years of ownership. Include chemicals, electricity for the pump, opening and closing each year, and for vinyl pools a liner replacement fund. Pool type and equipment choice both move this number. A slightly higher quote with a variable-speed pump and a fiberglass shell may cost less over those five years than a lower quote with a single-speed pump and a liner. Our guide to what it costs to own a pool in Ohio each year has more detail.

Only if the scope, the equipment and the site assumptions all match and you trust the builder equally. Usually they do not. The lowest quote is often low because something is missing, or because a site risk has been left out that will turn up in the dig.

Nor should you assume the highest quote is the best. Ask each builder to explain the three biggest cost items in their number. The one who can explain their price clearly, and who has seen your yard, is usually the one whose price holds.

We start from our published package price, from $68,400 to $103,900 depending on the Liberty model. We list what the package includes: the shell, Pentair variable-speed pump, DE filter, a pool heater and LED lights, 4 ft concrete wrap deck, cleaning kit, starter chemicals, installation and electrical hook-up at the equipment. Then, after walking the site, we list what is added for your yard, line by line. Fencing, extra decking, spoils haul-off, dewatering and the run from your panel to the equipment pad are the usual ones. We also design the pool in 3D on your lot, so every builder you are comparing can be held to the same drawing if you want to share it.